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A Coffee with Ren
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A Coffee with Ren

Huawei Founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei Discusses US-China Relations, 5G, and Huawei’s Future

Ren Zhengfei
Huxiu, 2019
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In 2018, the Trump administration effectively banned Chinese telecom provider and phone manufacturer Huawei from doing business in the United States based on allegations that the Chinese government uses Huawei equipment to spy on foreign nations. A number of US allies have since followed suit, and the United States further tightened restrictions on Huawei’s access to American chips in August, 2020. Meanwhile, Huawei continues to deny any wrongdoing. Huawei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei addressed these issues in one installment of the panel series “A Coffee with Ren” hosted by Huawei in Shenzhen. Here is a summary of Ren’s commentary during the panel discussion. 

Summary

US sanctions on Huawei are detrimental to social progress in both countries. 

The current tensions between the United States and China with regard to trade are regrettable. Collaboration between countries is the only way to achieve social progress. In the Information Age, no country can single-handedly achieve anything. Open collaboration, especially in the area of technology, is the only way countries can achieve the shared goal of creating wealth and lifting people out of poverty. When conflicts arise during collaboration, laws and rules should resolve issues rather than restrictions. 

Although US companies are no longer supplying Huawei with components and parts, Huawei understands that these American companies didn’t cause current setbacks. Instead, politicians with different views about China and Huawei did. 

Huawei was taken aback by the force of the United States’ measures, but is confident and optimistic about the future. 

Huawei expected barriers, challenges and conflicts when entering foreign markets, but not targeted measures by the United States. Huawei’s production capacity will decrease over...

About the Author

Ren Zhengfei is a Chinese entrepreneur and engineer. He is the founder and CEO of Shenzhen-based Huawei, the world’s largest manufacturer of telecommunications equipment and the second-largest manufacturer of smartphones. 

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